 BBB63 (3810), La Porte, Indiana, USA
May 5, 2008
750ml bottle from Brent and enjoyed in my Expedition snifter: Deep brown with reddish highlights topped by a fizzy fading head and spotty lace. Wow, I did not expect this much sour character in this beer. Noted sour cherry, oak, smoked malt, chocolate, light bourbon, walnut, prune and red grape, and a musty yeast ester.
The taste follows suit with a sweet and sour combination of cheery and grape over a layer of roasted and chocolaty malts. I do detect some bourbon and oak but not nearly as strong as I would have thought initially. This is developing into a big sour brown if you ask me... on purpose, not to sure, but Mikey Likey this flavor profile a lot! Some light handed smoke and nutty notes upon the finish. The mouth feel is sprite and refreshing with a light astringent finish. Well, I like this but really for all the reasons I did not expect. If you expect a robust malty beer then look somewhere else.
dalekliz (206), San Diego, California, USA
Sep 28, 2008 Bottle, sampled at RBSG 08. Pours a deep, dark brown with a tan ring. Very smoky aroma, of bourbon and malt. Taste combines sweeter bourbon and malt with lots of woody smokiness. Lingering smoky bourbon flavors. Very tasty smoked porter.
The_Epeeist (976), Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
Sep 21, 2008 25.4 oz bottle, batch 1. Dark brown with a dense tan head. Nose is sour oak, cocoa and trace bourbon. Silky body with a vinous buzz. Tastes like a burgundy with coffee. Lingering notes of bourbon, plum and tobacco. Smooth and dry, slightly smoky finish. Elegant but missing a kick. Still very nice.
The_Beer_God (2855), Newport News, Virginia, USA
Sep 20, 2008 Updated: Sep 21, 2008Bottle courtesy of hopdog. Thanks Steve! Batch 1. Near black pour with a bit of mahogany around the edges. Tall tan head fizzes up then relaxes leaving spotty lacing. Aroma is oak and bourbon with some tart fruit notes, and soft roasted malt. Taste is more tart fruit notes, some lactic flavors, sour milk, roasted malts, bourbon, oak, light vanilla, chocolate covered cherries and a touch of smokiness. Body is medium with a strong carbonation. Very bubbly on the palate. Lots of lingering tartness and acidic notes. Dry in spots as well. Finishes with more tart fruits, lactic notes, roasted malts, light cocoa, vanilla, bourbon and oak. Rather enjoyable.
douglas88 (808), Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Sep 7, 2008 Updated: Sep 9, 2008750 ml bottle thanks to John a few months ago. Batch no.1. Pours out a beautiful picture; a huge creamy beige head sits atop a pure black colored body. Nice! The aroma is full of bourbon notes, some sour and lightly roasted aspects too. Well, the flavor was also surprisingly full of a slightly sour taste which sort of mixed with the bourbon barrel flavor in a nice way. Not too much of a roasted malt presence, and only a slight sour cherry. Quite smooth, and fairly thin mouthfeel. Very interesting and enjoyable; more like a sour whiskey with some slight porter flavors thrown in.
kramer (1888), sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA
Aug 25, 2008 25 oz bottle, via puzzl. Pours a clear dark brown body with a large frothy and fizzy brown head. Looks like a good bit of carbonation. Really nice nose, a combo of roasty and chocolate malts with a fairly subtle amount of bourbon and a good bit of oak and vanilla. Not much smoke coming out, but then I really didn’t get all that much from the regular version of this either. There’s a bit more smoke in the flavor, but the overall experience is driven by the vanilla, charred oak, and bourbon from the barrel aging. Some dark fruits, some chocolate sweetness on the finish, and maybe just a slight sour twang that mixes with the oak lingering on after the sweetness fades. The body is a little bit clingy but it isn’t especially thick or viscous. The carbonation started out a bit fizzy and overactive for me, but letting it breathe a while really opened it up and toned things down. Overall, this was pretty decent, but not as good as the small sample of the Batch 2 Wine barrel was that I had.
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